FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 7 



eyes of Dr. Miller. If he pronounced them good the manu- 

 facturers made them and they went to the public. The fact 

 that these things have been in use for 20 and even 30 years 

 by practical beekeepers all over the United States shows how 

 nearly Dr. Miller was right. 



Perhaps the biggest thing the Doctor ever did for bee 

 culture was to show to the world the real nature of European 

 foul brood. He blazed the way in perfecting a new cure for 

 that disease — a cure that is accepted today. E. W. Alexander 

 furnished the basis for the treatment, and S. D. House, Camil- 

 lus, N. Y., showed that the period of queenlessness could be 

 reduced. He also showed that a resistant stock of Italians 

 would go a long way in curing the disease and keeping it out 

 of the apiary. But the ideas advanced above by Alexander 

 and House were so revolutionary that there were but very few 

 who took any stock in them. Only too well do I remember 

 how I was criticised for publishing these "false" doctrines. 

 But it was not until Dr. Miller had tried them out and had 

 proved that they were along right lines that the beekeeping 

 world began to take notice. The good Doctor went further 

 than either Alexander or House in showing the true nature of 

 the disease, and, possibly, how it spreads. When, therefore, 

 Dr. Miller introduced these new methods of treatment the 

 whole of beedom turned right about face. Later work by Dr. 

 Phillips and his assistants proved the soundness of Dr. Mil- 

 ler's views. 



Dr. Miller, later on, brought out, if he did not invent, a 

 plan for uniting bees with a sheet of newspaper. The plan 

 is very simple and effective. He moved the weaker of the two 

 colonies to be united and placed it on top of the stronger one. 

 Between the two stories was placed a sheet of newspaper 

 (with or without a small hole punched in it). The bees would 

 gradually unite thru this paper; and because the uniting was 

 so gradual there would be no fighting and less returning of the 

 moved bees to their old stand. 



Dr. Miller would have been great in any line of work or 

 profession. Had he stayed in music his fame would have gone 

 over the world, I verily believe; and if he had kept on in the 

 practice of medicine he would have advanced the profession 



